A chef has been given the go-ahead to operate a new food van from a layby in Falmouth, despite a councillor saying residents are concerned about litter and anti-social behaviour.

Zach Coggin had applied to Cornwall Council for street trading consent to run his Thrill Grill business from the layby in Pendennis Rise.

The application was referred to the council's street trading sub-committee due to an objection from local Cornwall councillor Laurie Magowan.

Mr Coggin told the committee that he had set up the business after seeing his livelihood wiped out due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

He explained:

"I did not have the best background in life and I worked extremely hard at Jamie Oliver's Fifteen."

Mr Coggin said that he had worked at the Falmouth Beach Hotel before it burned down and then said he had travelled around the world learning his trade working in various kitchens and alongside Michel Roux as well as for Premiership football clubs.

He said he moved back to Cornwall after he "pretty much lost everything due to covid" and with a baby son to care for he looked at new ways of earning a living.

Mr Coggin said that he wanted his food van to "bring back Cornish produce" and said he was working to ensure that all of his food is handmade using Cornish produce.

He said:

"I don't want the average food van serving hot dogs and burgers. We will be serving hot dogs and burgers but everything will be handmade by me and we will be using the best produce we can find in Cornwall."

Mr Coggin said that he had applied to be able to operate from 7am to 9pm seven days a week so that he can work out the best times of days to run his business and said he had no intention of working all those hours adding: "I have a young family and want a work life balance."

The chef also said that he hoped that in future he would be able to offer young people entering catering a chance to work with him to give them "a little bit of a wage, a little bit of hope and hopefully raise my family on it".

He added that he did not want to cause any anti-social behaviour and would reserve his right to refuse service to anyone who might be causing problems.

And he said that he planned to have three wheelie bins which would keep the area tidy and enable waste to be recycled.

He said he was also working with a company which makes sustainable packaging which is better for the environment.

Cllr Magowan commended Mr Coggin for his ambitions for his business and his efforts to support his family.

However, he said that local residents were concerned about the impact that the Thrill Grill could have on the area.

He said that there were concerns about noise, smell, litter and anti-social behaviour saying that there was already a problem with anti-social behaviour around Pendennis Point.

The Falmouth Arwenack councillor said:

"Being open until 9pm, selling burgers and chips you are going to be an attraction, a hub for young people."

Councillors on the sub-committee agreed to grant consent to Mr Coggin and noted that there had been no objections from Falmouth Town Council or other consultees.

The committee also said that as the application would run to December 31st if there were any issues these could be addressed when any renewal was made.

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